Professor Vagner Anabor

Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

10am, October 21, 2024

Room 913, Building 2, IAP

Abstract:

Professor Vagner Anabor is a meteorologist specializing in storm studies, particularly Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS), which drive 90% of convective precipitation in South America. He graduated from the Federal University of Pelotas, earned a Master's in Remote Sensing from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, and completed a PhD in Physics from the Federal University of Santa Maria, with part of his research conducted at NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory. His work spans atmospheric phenomena across micro, meso, and synoptic scales, and he has authored over 50 scientific papers on topics like turbulence, local circulations, severe weather, and regional modeling. He holds two patents, receiving the Petrobras Inventor Award in 2020. He is a founding member of the Atmospheric Modeling Group in Santa Maria and has served as coordinator of the graduate program in Meteorology at UFSM for 15 years. He currently coordinates the France-Brazil project "AERosol Observations over Brazil and Impacts – AEROBI." The research lines of the Atmospheric Modeling Group focus on AI-optimized atmospheric models, aerosol transport from biomass burning, and its impact on weather systems.

Bio:

The southern region of South America, especially the Río de la Plata Basin, frequently faces severe weather, impacting 70% of the populations of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. During spring and summer, mesoscale convective systems (MCS) drive most severe weather, causing extreme rainfall, hail, and strong winds. In May 2024, stationary storms led to over 1000 mm of rain in two weeks, marking Brazil's largest natural disaster, with floods in Rio Grande do Sul causing 172 deaths, displacing 629,000 people, and affecting over 2 million across 471 cities. Understanding precipitation processes across different scales and the impact of aerosols on cloud microphysics is vital for tackling climate change challenges in the region.